Bow-forming machine



Dec. 14, 1965 Filed Sept. 21, 1962 J. E. KERRIGAN ETAL BOW-FORMING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 14, 1965 J. E. KERRIGAN ETAL 3,223,299

BOW-FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 kc/crafezs jawas/g de/r/zgpa WM@@% MQ 1965 J. E. KERRIGAN ETAL 3,223,299

BOW-FORMING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 21, 1962 1965 J. E. KERRIGAN ETAL 3,223,299

BOW-FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Dec. 14, 1965 J. E. KERRIGAN ETAL 3,223,299

BQW-FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 EH7, 3O 2; II in "1 32' .W ME /"In Dec. 14, 1965 J. E. KERRIGAN ETAL 3,223,299

BOW-FORMING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 21, 1962 HWW" United States Patent M 3,223,299 BGW-FORll HNG MAtIHINE James E. Kerrigan, Arlington Heights, and Raimonds Griiris, Chicago, IiL, assignors to Chicago Printed String Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 225,224 Claims. (Ci. 223-46) This invention relates to mechanical devices adapted for forming decorative bows. More particularly, this invention pertains to new and improved machines adapted for forming decorative bows comprising several loops of strip material such as ribbon, tape or the like.

One facet of the presently large and apparently expanding demand for decorative wrappings, trimmings and other packaging accessories is a demand for a small semiautomatic machine adapted for mechanized formation of bows at the point of sale, such as in department stores. Several machines have heretofore been proposed for such purposes, including machines for making a currently popular bow comprising several conoidal loops or ribbon formed by twisting and securing successive portions of a length of ribbon generally in the form illustrated in FIG. '7 of US. Patent No. 2,841,905 issued to G. Wanchek on July 8, 1958. Various machines have been proposed and/or designed for forming such bows wherein the feeding, twisting and securing operations are carried out by cooperative manipulation of both the feed mechanism and the securing or holding apparatus. It has also been proposed that such bows be formed by a machine in which the necessary relative motion for feeding and twisting the ribbon is supplied solely by a ribbon feeding and applying apparatus; however this required that the supply source, e.g., a spool of ribbon, be mounted for rotation about the feeding mechanism and resulted in undesirable and/or unacceptable eccentric loads on this mechanism.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel machine adapted for forming bows, particularly bows requiring unidirectional twisting of successive portions of a continuous length of ribbon.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel bow-forming machine adapted for forming twisted loop bows wherein the twisting and feed operations are performed by the same mechanism, and avoiding eccentric mounting of the ribbon supply.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel bow-forming machine including a rotatable ribbon feed mechanism and a concentric mount for spool of ribbon.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bowforming machine with a novel adjustable feed drive arrangement.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a machine meeting the aforementioned objects and which is compact, sturdy in construction, simple to operate, reliable in operation and economical to produce.

Further and additional objects will become apparent to those skilled in this art in light of the embodiment illustrated in the attached drawings and the following description, and from the appended claims.

In carrying out this invention in one illustrative form, a machine is provided which includes stationary ribbon engaging pins for engaging and retaining successive portions of ribbon placed thereon, a hub for supporting a hollow-center spool in alignment with the pins, and feed apparatus mounted on shafts extending axially through the hub. The feed means is rotatably and reciprocally mounted for stripping successive lengths of ribbon from a spool on the hub, and feeding these lengths of ribbon to the pins with a rotary motion to form successive twisted loops of ribbon thereon. A drive arrangement is pro- 3,223,299 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 vided for reciprocating and rotating the feed means. The reciprocating drive includes a bell crank arm mounted for adjustable movement of its pivot axis whereby the stroke of the feed means may be varied while maintaining one end position constant, to thereby vary the size of bows formed with this machine.

By way of illustration and example, one embodiment of this invention is disclosed in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an improved bow-forming machine employing teachings of this invention, with a supply of ribbon thereon and in the process of forming a bow;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation View, partially in section, of the machine of FIG. 1 and including the drive mechanism but omitting the fastening apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of a portion of the machine as in FIG. 3, with a supply of ribbon and illustrating the feed mechanism in changed position;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view, partially in section, of the machine of FIG. 1, with the ribbon guides and gripper removed;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are a top plan view and a side elevation view, respectively, of the intermittent drive gears of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial top plan view of the lower ribbon guide of the machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1018 of FIG. 9 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper ribbon guide and gripper assembly of the machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged side elevation view of the cooperative portions of the ribbon holder and applicator of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the ribbon holder;

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 1414 of FIG. 13, and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional View of the rib bon feed and indexing shaft assembly of the machine in P16. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3, the illustrated machine includes a housing 20, a support 22, ribbon-holding apparatus 24, feed mechanism 26, a spool support at 28, a fastener 30, and related drive mechanism disposed primarily within housing 20 and support 22.

A hub or center post 32 extends upward from the upper surface of housing 20 and together with a circular disc 34 serves as the support 28 for an open-core ribbon spool S. The disc or plate 34 may be somewhat larger in diameter than the spools S to insure support for the ribbon as it is stripped from the spool and to serve as a guard for the lower guide or flyer 84. A rough surface or brake covering 35 is preferably included on the inner annular portion of plate 34 to serve as a retarder or brake for the spool resting thereon.

Support 22 comprises a collar 36 extending upward from the upper surface of housing 20, in spaced relation to hub 32, a hollow standard 38 supported in collar 36, and a support arm 49 mounted on standard 38.

The ribbon holding apparatus 24 includes a support 42 fixed to to distal end of arm 40, directly over and in axial alignment with hub 32. The holder 42 is provided with a plurality of surface roughened pins 44 extending downwardly from its lower surface, and is also provided with an arcuate anvil or staple clenching recess 46, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. A bow-release mechanism is also provided comprising a push rod 48 recipro cably mounted in and adapted to extend through a central bore 50 of member 42, together with a pressure plate 52 at the upper end of rod 48 and a compression spring 53 biasing the rod 48 to its retracted position as illustrated.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 15, as well as to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the feed mechanism 26 includes a one-way clutch gripper and guide 54 mounted on a hollow shaft 56, and a presser member or ribbon applicator 58 mounted on the upper end of a shaft 60 reciprocably supported in the hollow center of shaft 56. The applicator 58 is appropriately formed to mate with the pins 44, and in the illustrated fonn comprises a hollow cup-shaped member 61 in which is secured a group of upwardly extending stiff bristles 62. Shaft 56 is mounted for axial reciprocation through a sleeve 64, which is integral with an indexing gear 66, and is keyed to sleeve 64 for rotation therewith as by pins or dogs 67 extending through sleeve 64 into longitudinal grooves 68 in shaft 56 (see FIG. 1). The pins 67 also extend through a collar 74 which is in rotatable bearing engagement with the upper edge of hub 32 and thereby rotatably supports the sleeve 64. Suitable bearing means such as a bearing washer may be inserted at 78 between collar 74 and hub 32, as well as at 80 between gear 66 and the inner surface of the housing 10.

Collar 74 is provided with a pair of opposed slots 82 (FIG. to detachably receive the bifurcated end of another ribbon guide 84 of the feed mechanism. This guide or fiyer 84, illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 9 and 10, includes an elongated guide member 86 which is bifurcated at its inner end and provided with a downwardly extending outer end terminating in a curved surface 88 carrying a guide member 90, both of which are disposed at an angle ofabout 45 to the horizontal, as best seeen in FIG. 1. A guide and catch plate 92 is secured on the upper side of plate 86 near its inner end and includes a pair of resilient fingers 94 disposed over the bifurcated end portion of member 86, these fingers having upwardly extending strike-outs 96 formed in the inner ends thereof. The fiyer 84 is detachably engaged on collar 74 by pressing fingers 94 toward the corresponding portions of plate 86 and sliding the bifurcated members through slots 82. The struck-out portions 96 snap up on the opposite or backside of collar 76 to retain the unit 84 in place. A series of rollers 98 of various suitable lengths, corresponding generally to the widths of ribbon to be utilized, are mounted in appropriate slots in the angularly upwardly extending outer end 99 of plate 92.

The ribbon-gripper and guide assembly 54 is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, and shown in cross section in FIG. 11. This assembly includes a generally l -shaped support 102 including a bight 103 and bifurcated end portion 184, a guide 106 having an upper portion defining a plurality of slots 108 spaced above the upper or short leg portion of support 102, a one-way clutch assembly 110, and resilient fingers 112. The fingers 112 include struck-out portions 114 and are spaced above the bifurcated end portion 104 whereby the gripper unit 54 may be detachably mounted in a pair of slits 116, formed in a block 117 secured to the upper end of shaft 56 (see FIG. 5 in the same general manner as in mounting fiyer 84. The one-way clutch assembly 110 includes a support 126 and a resilient gripper finger 122 disposed on the upper surface of support 120, with one end 124 secured to the support and the opposite free end 126 extending angularly upward to contact the exposed surface of the bight portion 103, as illustrated. The finger 122. thus permits free relative movement of ribbon upward between bight 103 and end 126, but securely clamps ribbon against relative movement in an opposite direction.

Bow-forming operation The operation of the ribbon manipulative, bow-forming apparatus described above is as follows:

Preliminarily, fiyer 84 and assembly 54 are removed and a spool of ribbon S is mounted on hub 32 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1, whereupon the units 54 and 84 are returned to their operative positions in engagement with the collar 74 and disc 117. The spool is placed so that the ribbon is wound in the direction of rotation of the feed mechanism, i.e., as illustrated in FIG. 1 assuming the feed mechanism rotates counterclockwise. The ribbon is then threaded around surface 88 through guide 90, over the appropriate roller 98 corresponding to the width of the ribbon, thence upwardly between finger 122 and bight portion 103, above guide 106, downwardly through the appropriate slot 108 corresponding to the ribbon width, outwardly between the upper portion of plate 166 and the upper leg of member 102, and over the upper end of the applicator 58.

In the forming of a bow, feed assembly 26 is reciprocated upwardly until applicator 58 forces the extended end of the ribbon onto pins 44, see FIG. 3. The arbor 60 then remains in its upper position while shaft 56 and attached gripper mechanism 54 retract to their lower end positions. During this downward movement of the gripper mechanism, the finger end 126 automatically releases from bight 103 to permit free sliding movement of the gripper along the ribbon extending between pins 44 and guide rollers 98, while applicator 58 engages the ribbon against holder 42 to insure that the engaged ribbon will not be pulled off of pins 44. After gripper 54 reaches its lower position, arbor 60 and applicator 58 also reciprocate to their lower end positions as illustrated in FIG. 4. The entire reciprocating feed mechanism, including applicator 58 and gripper 54, then commences its return travel to the upper position. During this upward movement, finger end 126 grips the ribbon against bight portion 103 and thus pulls ribbon from the spool S through the guides and 98, while shaft 56 and the units 54 and 84 mounted thereon rotate to strip ribbon from the spool S and to twist the length of ribbon extending between pins 44 and gripper-guide unit 54. Assuming that the angle of rotation of shaft 56 is somewhat greater than 180, for instance about 225, the portion of ribbon between pins 44 and gripper 54 will form a conoidal loop when the gripper and arbor reach their upper position. The portion of ribbon now over applicator 58 (the second leg of the newly formed loop) is pressed onto pins 44 by the applicator, thus placing the newly formed loop on the pins. Thereafter the arbor again remains in an upper ribbon holding position while the gripper mechanism reciprocates, and the cycle is repeated to form the desired number of loops for a bow on pins 44. The ribbon is then out between pins 44 and guide 54 and the loops are permanently secured together to form a bow, as by use of a fastening mechanism 30.

The release mechanism may then be pressed downwardly whereby rod 48 pushes the completed bow off of pins 44.

Fastener Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the fastening mechanism 30 comprises an inverted stapler 130 of conventional construction for applying two-prong wire staples and clenching the staples against the anvil surface of slot 46 (FIG. 13). The stapler 130 is mounted on framework 132 at 133 for pivotal movement in a vertical plane, and the framework is in turn pivotally mounted on support 22 for rotation in a horizontal plane. An operating handle 134 is pivotally mounted on framework 132 as at 136 and bears against the lower side of stapler 130 to pivot the stapler upwardly and to operate the stapler when the outer end of the handle is pressed downwardly. A tension spring 138 may be provided to bias the stapler to its retracted position illustrated in FIG. 5.

To permanently secure a collected group of loops into a how, the stapler 130 is swung to its operative position illustrated in FIG. 2, with the staple applicator in alignment with slot 46, and handle 134 is pressed downward to apply a staple through the collected ribbon loop legs adjacent pins 44.

Where it is deemed desirable to place a mounting member on each bow, such as a square of paperboard or the like bearing a pressure sensitive adhesive, an open center holder 146 for such mounting members may be disposed over the outer end of the stapler. The open center 142 permits application of the staples through the holder. Compression springs may be provided as at 144 to preload the stapler and thereby to insure that the mounting members will be forced over the pins and tightly upward against the accumulated loops before the staple driving mechanism is actuated during operation of the stapler. A guide or stop member 146 insures proper positioning of the stapler with the staple applying mechanism in line with the staple clinching groove 46.

Drive mechanism The illustrated drive apparatus is designed to provide semiautomatic operation of the ribbon manipulative bowforming apparatus and includes provision for adjusting the stroke of the ribbon feed elements and to thereby vary the size of loops which may be formed.

The drive comprises an electric motor 146 connected to an interrupted gear 148 of an intermittent drive including the gear 148 and a cooperating interrupted gear 150 (FIGS. 1, 7 and 8). A pin 152 extends from the top surface of gear 148 into and is slidably engaged in a slotted lever 154 which is pivotally mounted to one side of gear 148 at 156 (FIG. 6) to provide a variable speedquick return feed motion of lever 154. Lever 154 is connected to a pivotally mounted operating link 158 by a connecting bar 168 (FIG. 3). A pin 162 on the opposite end of link 158 extends into a slot 164 formed in one arm 166 of a bell crank lever 168 pivotally mounted at 170 on a vertically adjustable shaft 172 extending upward through support 38. The other arm 174 of hell crank lever 168 is provided with a bifurcated yoke portion 176 mounting a pair of rollers 178 which have sliding or rolling contact in a pair of opposed horizontal slots 180 formed in a bearing block 182 (FIGS. 3 and 5). Bearing block 182 engages the lower end of a pivot shaft 183 in a manner to permit rotation of the shaft within the bearing block, and the shaft 183 is secured to shaft 56 as by a pin 183a (FIG. 15). Rotation of drive gear 148 thus operates through the pin and slotted lever mechanism 152, 154, and links 158, 160, to oscillate bell crank 168 about pivot axis 170, and thereby to reciprocate shaft 56.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 15, relative reciprocation between arbor 60 and shaft 56 is provided for in the illustrated machine by supporting the arbor on a catch ring 184 disposed in circumannular relation to and sliding engagement with the shaft 56. A roll pin 185 extends through opposed longitudinal slots 186 in shaft 56 communicating with groove 68 (see FIG. 5) and engages ring 184 as well as a spring rod guide 187 that is slidingly disposed within the center bore of hollow shaft 56. A spring rod 188 is slidably engaged within the upper end of guide 187 and connected to the lower end of arbor 60 as by pin 189. A compression spring 191] is confined between pin 185 and rod 188 to yieldably bias the rod upwardly toward an end limit position wherein an annular shoulder 191 on rod 188 engages a corresponding inner annular shoulder of guide 187 as illustrated. The spring 190 and the slidable connection between guide 187 and rod 188 provide for yieldable contact between the applicator 58 and support 42 at the upper end of the feed stroke of the feed assembly, within the clearance provided for applicator 58 in the upper end of shaft 56, as at 192. Another compression spring 194 is confined between an internal shoulder 195 on shaft 56 and a shoulder 196 on 6 guide 184 to urge the guide and hence the arbor 6t) and applicator 58 to the retracted position illustrated in FIG. 15.

A catch finger 198 secured to an oscillatable shaft 200 is positionable to engage the underside of the shoulder 184a on catch ring 184 when the feed assembly is in its upper position, as illustrated in FIG. 3. An operating finger 282 is also secured to shaft 200 at the underside of gear 148 where it is periodically engaged by a pin 204 secured to gear 148 (FIG. 8). A torsion spring 206 (FIG. 5 biases shaft 200 to a position wherein finger 198 will engage ring 184, and finger 202 is in position to be engaged by pin 204 to disengage finger 198 from beneath the catch ring.

After gear 148 has operated the drive mechanism previously described to move the feed apparatus to the upper position as illustrated in FIG. 3, finger 198 engages the underside of catch ring 184 whereupon pin 185, guide 187, rod 188 and compression spring 190 maintain the arbor 6t) and hence the applicator 58 in its upper or loop holding position as gear 148 continues to rotate and thus to operate bell crank 168 to lower shaft 56 and gripper assembly 54. After shaft 56 has been lowered, pin 204 engages finger 282 and rotates shaft 200 to disengage finger 198 from catch ring 184 whereupon compression spring 194 and the weight of the arbor 68 cause the arbor to drop to its lower position as in FIG. 4. A spring finger 207 mounted on bearing block 182 engages catch ring 184 to minimize bouncing of the arbor and the related support assembly as they drop to their lowermost position.

During the aforedescribed reciprocating feed operations, the toothed sector of interrupted gear 148 engages the toothed sector of gear in the intermittent drive and thereby rotates gear 158 one full revolution. A spur gear 209 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is secured to the same shaft as gear 150 and engages indexing gear 66 whereby gear 66, sleeve 64, and the feed mechanism 26 are rotated through a predetermined angle, as governed by and there fore variable with the ratios between the various gears, in timed sequence with the reciprocating feed as described above during each revolution of gear 148. As one example, in forming a bow of the type heretofore referred to, the angle of each successive rotation of the feed mechanism should be between 180 and 360, and normally is about 225.

Suitable controls and switches may be provided for starting, operating and stopping motor 146. Such controls may include an automatic counter-switch arrangement as at 147 whereby upon initiation of operation of the machine it will operate through a preselected number of cycles to form a predetermined number of loops of a bow and will then automatically stop, such as by the use of a stepping relay and auxiliary switch control.

Feed stroke adjustment It will be appreciated that gear 148 drives operating link 158 and more particularly pin 162 through a fixed arc during each revolution. However, it is desirable that the length of stroke of the gripper 54 be varied to thereby vary the length of ribbon utilized in forming each loop and consequently to vary the diameter of the bow which is being formed. A condition of this adjustability is that one end of the stroke, namely the end corresponding to the upper position of the arbor 60 must be constant to insure proper engagement between applicator 58 and the holding mechanism 24 at the upper end of each stroke, regardless of the length of the stroke. In the illustrated apparatus, the desired adjustable drive is obtained by pivotally mounting bell crank arm 168 on a pin which is carried on a shaft 172 that extends upward through and is vertically adjustable in support 38. Support for and adjustment of shaft 172 is provided by a threaded member 2118 rotatably supported in the upper end of shaft 38 as at 214 and threadably engaging a nut 212 secured to the upper end of shaft 172. A pin 216 is secured to shaft 172 and extends through. a suitable longitudinal slot 218 in support 38 to prevent relative rotation of shaft 172 and to provide a visible indexing means for indicating the position of pin 171 or, more appropriately, the size of bow for which the machine is adjusted (see FIG. 1). A lock knob 220 may be provided on the outward end of pin 216.

Slot 164 is of a configuration to insure that rollers 178 will position shaft 56 to place applicator 58 in contact with holder 24 regardless of relative vertical adjustment of pivot. pin 170. A graphical solution of the linkage illustrated indicates that slot 164 is a section of a limagon curve (r=2a cos 01d, where a: /2 the length of arm 174, and d: the distance between pin 162 and the intersection of the axes of shaft 172 and the slots 180). However, the slot may follow other mathematical curves if the type of connecton between arm 174 and block 182 is varied, for instance if arm 174 varies in effective length by sliding engagement with a point support on block 182. As a practical matter, within the usual range of adjustment slot 164 may constitute an arc of a circle. For instance, in one machine with the axes of shafts 56 and 172 parallel and spaced 7%", slots 180 being normal to such axes, and the effective length of arm 174 being about 8 and arm 166 being between 2%" and 4%", a slot 164 comprising an arc of a circle of 4" radius and centered 3.000" from a line through the pivot axis 170 and parallel to arm 174, and 3.687" from a line through pivot axis 170 and parallel to arm 166 was found satisfactory.

While the term ribbon has been utilized in describing the operation of the illustrated embodiment of this invention, it will be appreciated that machines in accordance with the invention may be operated with ribbon, tapes and other strip materials of similar characteristics. As one specific example, an adhesive bonded, parallel, aligned yarn ribbon product Satintone, produced and sold by Chicago Printed String Company of Chicago, Illinois, has been found satisfactory for forming bows in a machine as illustrated in the drawings herein.

It will be obvious to those skilled in this art that various modificationsmay be made of the illustrated embodiment of the invention in light of teachings herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, various fastening means may be utilized for retaining the collected loops in a permanent bow form, a hand-operated. drive may be substituted for the motor, mounting member applicators may be incorporated, or eliminated, in accordance with the type of mounting members to be placed on the formed bows, elements of the drive mechanism may be varied or rearranged, and various mechanically equivalent elements may be substituted for those shown.

It will thus be seen that an invention in bow-forming machines has been made and disclosed herein, whereby novel improved bow-forming machines may be constructed by those skilled in this art. Machines according to the invention are adapted to form twisted-loop bows with the feeding and twisting operations being carried out solely by the feed mechanism, and with the ribbon supply positioned on the axis of rotation of the feed mechanism thereby avoiding eccentric loads on the rotating apparatus. Further, an adjustable drive for the reciprocable feed arrangement is taught whereby the feed stroke and, consequently, the size of the individual loop and the size of the resulting bows may be conveniently adjusted, all in a machine which is compact, sturdy, simple to operate, reliable, and economical to produce.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown and described above, it will be understood of course that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made by those skilled in this art in light of the foregoing teachings. Therefore, it is contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. In a machine adapted for forming bows from ribbon, holding means for engaging and holding ribbon fed thereto, reciprocable feed means engageable with said holding means upon reciprocation for feeding successive lengths of ribbon to said holding means, said reciprocable feed means being rotatable about the locus of its reciprocation whereby successive lengths of ribbon may be twisted as they are fed to said holding means by said feed means, support means for supporting a ribbon spool for independent rotation about the axis of rotation of said feed means, and drive means for reciprocating and rotating said feed means to withdraw successive lengths of ribbon from a ribbon supply on said support means, twist such lengths and engage such twisted lengths on said holding means to form the loops of a bow.

2. In a machine adapted for forming bows from ribbon, holding means for engaging and holding ribbon fed thereto, a reciprocable applicator engageable with said holding means upon reciprocation for engaging successive lengths of ribbon on said holding means, support means for supporting a ribbon spool for independent rotation about the locus of reciprocation of said applicator, a gripper member reciprocable relative to said applicator for withdrawing successive lengths of ribbon from a ribbon supply on said support means and positioning such lengths for engagement with said holding means by said applicator, said gripper member being rotatable about said locus of reciprocation whereby successive lengths of ribbon may be twisted as they are fed to said holding means, and drive means for reciprocating said applicator and reciprocating and rotating said gripper member to withdraw successive lengths of ribbon from a ribbon supply on said support means, twist such lengths and engage such twisted lengths on said holding means to form the loops of a bow.

3. In a machine as in claim 1, said holding means being stationary relative to the remainder of said machine.

4. In a machine as in claim 2 and wherein said gripper member comprises a one-way clutch, means for advancing said gripper toward said holding means with said applicator and for retracting said gripper independently of said applicator while said applicator engages said holding means.

5. In a machine as in claim 1, said drive means including a drive link, a pivotally mounted bell crank link having one arm connected to said feed means and a second arm slidably connected to said drive link, and means for moving the pivotal mounting of said bell crank link relative to said drive link to vary the effective length of said second arm.

6. In a machine adapted for forming bows from ribbon, support means including a hub adapted to receive a hollow-center spool, holding means for engaging and holding ribbon fed thereto, feed means extending through said hub for feeding successive lengths of ribbon from a spool on said hub to said holding means, said feed means being rotatable whereby successive lengths of ribbon may be twisted as they are fed from such spool to said holding means by said feed means to form loops of ribbon on said holding means, and drive means for rotating said feed means.

7. In a machine as in claim 6, a ribbon guide rotatable with said feed means and mounted to extend over a spool disposed on said hub.

8. In a machine adapted for forming bows from ribbon, support means including a hub adapted to receive a hollow-center spool, holding means aligned with said hub for engaging and holding ribbon fed thereto, reciprocable feed means extending axially of said hub for feeding successive lengths of ribbon from a spool on said hub to said holding means, said feed means being rotatable whereby successive lengths of ribbon may be twisted as they are fed to said engaging means by said feed means,

and drive means for reciprocating and rotating said feed means to form loops of ribbon on said holding means.

9. In a machine adapted for forming bows from ribbon, support means including a hub adapted for receiving a hollow-center spool, holding means aligned with said hub for engaging and holding ribbon fed thereto, feed means including a gripper member mounted on a support extending through said hub and movable for feeding successive lengths of ribbon from a spool on said hub to said holding means, said gripper member being rotatable whereby successive lengths of ribbon may be twisted as they are fed from such spool to said holding means by said feed means to form loops of ribbon on said holding means, a ribbon guide mounted to extend over a spool disposed on said hub and rotatable with said gripper member, said gripper member and said guide being detachably mounted to permit mounting of spools on said hub over said feed means, and means for driving said feed means and ribbon guide.

10. In a machine adapted for forming bows from ribbon, support means including a hub adapted to receive a hollow-center spool, holding means aligned with said hub for engaging and holding ribbon fed thereto, an applicator mounted on a reciprocable arbor extending through said hub, a gripper member mounted on a shaft coaxial with said arbor and extending through said hub, said shaft being rotatably and reciprocably supported, drive means for rotating and reciprocating said shaft to Withdraw successive lengths of ribbon from a spool on said hub, form ribbon loops therefrom, and feed such loops to said holding means, said arbor being movable with said shaft as said gripper is moved toward said holding means to engage ribbon on said holding means, and latch means for maintaining said applicator in a position adjacent said holding means as said shaft moves to retract said gripper therefrom.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,933,223 8/1960 Kravig et a1 22346 2,982,452 5/1961 Anderson 22346 3,061,153 10/1962 Rector 223-46 3,129,861 4/1964 Napier 22346 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE ADAPTED FOR FORMING BOWS FROM RIBBON, HOLDING MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND HOLDING RIBBON AND THERETO, RECIPROCABLE FEED MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID HOLDING MEANS UPON RECIPROCATION FOR FEEDING SUCCESSIVE LENGTHS OF RIBBON TO SAID HOLDING MEANS, SAID RECIPROCABLE FEED MEANS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT THE LOCUS OF ITS RECIPROCATION WHEREBY SUCCESSIVE LENGTHS OF RIBBON MAY BE TWISTED AS THEY ARE FED TO SAID HOLDING MEANS BY SAID FEED MEANS, SUPPORT MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A RIBBON SPOOL FOR INDEPENDENT ROTATION ABOUT THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID FEED MEANS, AND DRIVE MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING OF SAID ING SAID FEED MEANS TO WITHDRAW SUCCESSIVE LENGTHS OF RIBBON FROM A RIBBON SUPPLY ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS, TWIST SUCH LENGTHS AND ENGAGE SUCH TWISTED LENGTHS ON SAID HOLDING MEANS TO FORM THE LOOP OF A BOW. 